Black Rose
by Sky Rider
Summary: Set during the Shippuden series when Naruto and Sakura finally find Sasuke... NarutoxSakura
1. Saving You

Disclaimer: All characters and materials of Naruto are the property of it original Japanese writer. I don't own any of them, so I am not responsible for any dissatisfaction with the series—anime nor manga.

Spoiler Warning: STOP!! If you haven't watched the first episode of the Naruto Shippuuden series, then don't keep reading!!

Setting: After Sasuke says to Naruto, "That's why this time, at my whim, you'll lose your life."

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"Hold on, Naruto" Sakura said, the panic rising in her voice. Tears were streaming down her face. All the training that she had had to keep her emotions hidden wasn't helping at all.

"I told him…this time he would die…" Sasuke stared at the situation uncaringly.

"S-Stuff it!" Sakura yelled angrily at Sasuke as she desperately dug through her bag for bandages.

"He'll be dead soon…don't worry."

"Shut up!" Sakura shouted back at him. She desperately searched through her pack needing to find materials to stop the bleeding…something…anything. Looking down at the yellow-haired fifteen-year-old boy cradled in her lap, she was forced to swallow down another sob that threatened to come over her. Where in heaven, hell, or earth had Sai run off to?

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to your grief. Next time, don't expect me to be so forgiving," Sasuke hissed. In an instant, he was gone and Sakura was left with a dying Naruto.

"Naruto…hold on…you have to hold on," she pleaded, wiping the tears out of her eyes. When had she started to care so much for him? Was it when he came back from training all grown up and actually pretty mature? Her head was swimming as she pulled out a bandage and antiseptic at last and turned his body over to reveal the deep flesh wound that Sasuke had inflicted on Naruto. She poured the liquid over the wound and frantically started to wrap the wound. Cursing the fact that they didn't have anything for stitches, she forced the skin together with her hands and wrapped it around tighter. As she did this, she started to notice that the skin was already starting to heal itself back together. Was that the power of the fox? As the bandaging was finally finished, she set out a blanket on the ground. He may have been healing rapidly, but his wound was still bad enough that moving him was not wise, not for a least a day.

The day turned into night and several hours after she fell asleep at his side, she woke to his feverish tossing and delirious shouting. As she put her hand to his forehead to feel part of the sweat and fire that was plaguing his entire body, she realized that something was very wrong. She turned him back over, and unwrapped the bandages to take a look at his back. It was just a shallow wound now, but a kind of sickly green color had taken residence around it. Sasuke had put poison on the blade.

"Curse you, Sasuke," Sakura spat. She felt suddenly helpless to care for him. She was nowhere near any of the herbs or fresh water that she needed in order to treat him. She looked around frantically trying to catch a glimpse of anyone that might be near enough to help her, but just as she thought, there was no one within miles.

"Naruto…hang in there. If you can hear me, don't you dare die on me." Although she would never admit it, she was starting to lose hope. Starting to feel helpless again, she did the only thing she could think of. She put a fresh bandage on the wound, took everything out of their packs that wasn't essential, tied the remaining pack to her waist, and gently hoisted the blonde-haired, injured boy onto her back. He was surprisingly lighter than she expected. With what strength that she didn't already spend from crying, she jumped out of the canyon-like depression with Naruto on her back and started running back towards the Konoha village. She just hoped more than anything that he would last that long.

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Thanks for reading! Please take the time to review and tell me how you liked it. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I get done writing it…hopefully soon. Bye pplz!


	2. Clarity of Daylight

_Disclaimer: See chapter 1._

_Author's Notes: Many of you have been kind enough to review and suggest problems that need to be solved. I'm happy to hear your input. I am also, however, quite aware of Sai and Yamato and the many other things that have managed to come up in the Shippuuden series and you need not worry…they will be, are, and have been addressed. As for the situation with the poison and Sakura's sudden inability to cure it…I addressed that issue in chapter one already. Thanks for hanging in there…_

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The sun was just starting to come over the horizon when Sakura set Naruto down for the first time since she had started her journey back to Konoha. Naruto groaned when she lay his head on her pack. Unwrapping a piece of bread, she ate slowly and gingerly. She felt very exposed by the brightness of the sand and lack of trees.

"S-Sak-ura," said a weak voice beside her.

Her gaze snapped over to Naruto. His eyes were open just enough to see her. She threw the bread back on its wrapping and leaned over him.

"Naruto! How are you feeling?" She stared anxiously into his face.

He blinked slowly and spoke even slower, "I don't…I can't…feel…my legs. I…feel…so…tired and…heav—y."

"Just keep still for now. Sasuke poisoned you with his blade. I don't have anything with me to cure poisons, so I'm taking you back to Konoha. You have to hang on until then."

"I—I won't die…I have to become…Hok—k—age…remem—ber?"

Sakura smiled sadly, "Yes, I remember. Oh! Do you want something to eat?"

Naruto looked away from her hopeful face, "Maybe…just a…little." He couldn't bare to see her cry. He knew that not eating, even though he really wasn't hungry, would have crushed her hopes. So, even if he felt like every part of him was on fire and his life was a few hours from over…so what? He couldn't let on to Sakura. He didn't want to see her sad…not like this. But what some part of him wondered and still couldn't decide was why she even really cared. It was just him. In the past, she wouldn't have given a damn about him. Kakashi would have been the only one to look out for him and that was that, but now…something was different. Somewhere along the way, she had genuinely started caring about him and that struck him at his core. But there was still something that was bothering him even more than the fact that there was a chance he could die.

"Sakura…" Naruto said weakly.

"Yes?" Sakura pulled out some dried jerky for him to eat.

"Where are…Sai and…Yamato?"

Sakura looked away, "They…uh…they left…"

"They…left?"

Sakura sighed, "When you got hurt, Sai went over to Sasuke's side. He betrayed us. Yamato left us to follow him. Maybe he'll be able to find where Sasuke's really been hiding out all this time."

Naruto closed his eyes, "I see…"

"What? No jokes?" Sakura said, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Sakura…I'm—I'm sorry. I'm still so…weak…"

"No. Don't say that. You're strong, because you're still alive. Now, eat something."

Naruto opened his eyes just enough to see Sakura holding a strip of jerky towards him. Heavily closing his eyes again, he turned his head away from her again.

"I can't move…my arms…sorry."

"That's alright. Can you chew?" Sakura said, optimistically tearing a piece of jerky into small pieces.

"I…think so…"

"Here," she put his head in her arms and made him lean forward. Putting the shredded pieces of jerky in his mouth, he bit down on them awkwardly, feeling each one slide down his throat. Coughing a little as the last one went down, he swallowed hard to get the remaining debris out of his throat.

"Want more?"

Naruto shook his head, "No."

"Okay. Just let me know if you get hungry," Sakura said, packing away the jerky.

"Sakura…why did you…stay…with me?"

Sakura frowned, "Don't be stupid! I wouldn't leave a comrade to fend for himself, even if he weren't injured."

"Now you're being…stupid. When we…were in team…seven…and Sasuke was still…here…you couldn't care…less about…me…"

Sakura was silent for a moment, before she finally got the courage to answer, "I was wrong about you then. I was wrong about a lot of things, and I wasn't mature enough to be responsible for anyone but myself. But in any case, we need to get moving again. The longer we sit here and talk, the more the poison is damaging your body."

"I'm…up for…moving."

A shadow of a smile lit Sakura's face, "Good." She packed up the rest of the food, tied the pack back to her waist and gently lifted him onto her back. Naruto groaned at the change of body position.

"You okay?" Sakura asked, shifting his weight slightly forward.

"Y-Yeah…"

"All right. We're off," Sakura said, getting her footing and starting to run again. It wouldn't be long until she reached the forest now. She could see it. She just hoped her luck of no desert storms would hold until she got out of it.

'Two days from Konoha,' she thought, 'Naruto, hang in there…'


	3. Unexpected Visitors

_A/N: The first time I uploaded this I got some complaints about Neji's name being spelled wrong…and yes it was. Mental errors like that happen when you get 4 hours of sleep every night for a week. I've fixed all the errors that I've found in here and if there are any others I apologize and will correct it as I see them, however, keep in mind that I don't write fan fiction for you, I write it for myself. Whether I post it online is my choice. If too many choose to complain about such stuff as mispellings I will (in the future) stop posting chapters on the net.  
Thanks, Sky Rider_

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Sakura was almost to the edge of the desert when the winds started to pick up. She knew she only had another four hundred feet or so to go, but it was already getting hard to see the trees in the distance. 

"Damn! Naruto, how are you doing back there?" Sakura asked, getting a mouthful of sand as she spoke. Waiting for a moment to hear his reply, she fought the winds, trying to keep going. The seconds ticked by and there was no response. Naruto must've passed out again. It was then that she did something she swore she would never do. With the knowledge of the fact that Naruto was going to lose his life if she didn't hurry back to get him help, she made a choice out of instinct instead of common sense. As a ninja, she knew that pushing on through the storm could be deadly, even if the trees were only a few hundred feet away. The woman in her, however, knew that if she waited too long, it may be too late for Naruto by the time she got back to Konoha. So, in her desperation, she made the decision to push through the storm towards the forest anyway and pray that she would reach it without too much incident.

Walking against the wall of wind and sand, however, proved more of a chore than she had expected. The wind pulled at her body making Naruto's weight harder to bear. The sand ripped at her skin, burning like thousands of tiny needles. Trying to get a decent breath, she took out a piece of clothing that she had packed and put it over her mouth and nose. She only hoped Naruto was too unconscious to be aware of the constant burning and lack of oxygen that the sand storm had managed to accumulate. All the same, unconscious or not, she couldn't risk exposing him much longer. It was around that time, however, that something strange started to happen. As she walked further and further, the desert winds began to decrease in strength which could only mean that she was heading in the right direction…and she was close. Feeling encouraged with the weakening winds, she began to pick up her pace. She had just broken into a run again when she came to a dead spot where all the winds had suddenly ceased. She looked up to see trees in front of her. She had made it. Not stopping to celebrate, she jumped up and took off, leaping from one tree another. Cursing the fact that the sand storm had slowed her down, she pressed herself to keep moving regardless of how tired she may be. It was essential that Naruto got help fast, especially now that she had been delayed. So, putting the piece of clothing away that had been used to mask her face from the sand, she navigated the forest silently with an senseless Naruto on her back.

As the hours slowly passed, her mind began to wander. Naruto hadn't said anything since she had fed him in the desert. It left her alone with her thoughts.

'So…when did you start liking Naruto?' a little voice said in her brain.

'I thought I already told you…I don't like him,' said a second voice.

'Oh yeah?' said the first voice.

'Yes,' replied the second stubbornly.

'Then why are you always thinking about him?' said the first voice.

'He's on my team. I'm with him all the time. Its only natural that I would think of him from time to time…'

'Don't lie…you've thought of kissing him before. In fact, you've been thinking about it more since he got back from training.'

The second voice didn't reply at once. Then it timidly replied, 'You're…you're right. When did that happen?'

'But it can't happen…you know that don't you? Love is a forbidden concept for a shinobi.'

The second voice hesitated, 'I had forgotten about that…'

There was suddenly a bit of coughing before a voice behind her spoke weakly, "Sak—ura…"

She pulled her mind out of her thoughts.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked, almost being clothes-lined by a low-hanging branch. She looked up to see the sun starting to set.

"I've—been…b-better," Naruto answered. His speech was starting to slur.

"Are you hungry?" Sakura asked.

Naruto groaned, "N-No—not—h-hungry."

"Listen, Naruto, we're still a full night and at least part of a day away from Konoha. You have to hang on a little longer. I don't have what I need to treat you now or I would have done it already," Sakura said grimly. Without realizing it, she had quickened her pace.

"I'll—ry—t-try," Naruto said. Sakura's heart sunk. From his words, it sounded as if he was doubting if he could hold out that long. The idea of losing him was beginning to scare her.

"No! Promise me you'll make yourself last until I get you there," Sakura said desperately.

"I'm—s-sorry—Sak—ura. I can't—make—that—prom—ise…" Naruto took a labored breath, then let out a soft moan.

"Don't you dare," Sakura commanded hysterically. "Don't you dare die on me here! You can't die now…not like this…not when I—" her voice trailed off and tears threatened her again. Silence fell between them for a long time after that.

From somewhere to their left, a rain of kunai suddenly appeared. Sakura was hit by several and fell towards the ground, surprised by the sudden attack. Naruto, having slid off her back and unable to help himself, was falling next to her limply. Sakura managed to regain her composure and station her feet on the side of a tree, catching Naruto awkwardly before he hit the ground. She let out a yelp of pain as his weight strained her already injured shoulder even more. But as soon as she could think straight again, she ran down the tree and gently laid Naruto down next to it. Pulling the kunai out of her shoulder, she ran back up the tree to look for her attacker. It was then that she heard the echo of a familiar voice shouting words she knew quite well.

"Primary Lotus!" There was a loud explosion and then complete silence. Sakura frowned. There were no more daggers flying in her direction, something must've happened to her attacker.

"What on earth is going on here?" She thought aloud.

There was a bit of rustling and some voices talking about something she couldn't make out. Preparing to fight, she pulled on her gloves and waited to see who it was. Then out of the trees emerged Rock Lee, Ten-Ten, Neji, and Gai-sensei. At the sight of her, they all stopped in their tracks.

"Sakura?" Lee said uncertainly, not believing his eyes.

"What are you doing out here alone, Sakura?" Gai-sensei asked suspiciously.

Sakura immediately broke down in tears at the sight of them. Something about seeing people she knew made everything seem okay somehow. She sunk down to a squat on the branch she was perched on.

"Sakura…what's wrong? What's happened?" Lee asked, leaping beside her, concerned.

"I think I know why she's upset," Neji said looking down to see Naruto laying at the bottom of the tree.

Neji immediately leaped down and picked Naruto's limp body up off the ground. While he did this Lee gently wrapped his arms around Sakura while she sat there and cried. Gently, Neji lifted Naruto back up into the trees where the others were looking at each other very confused.

"He's still alive, but unconscious…for now at least. What happened to him, Sakura?" Neji asked gravely.

"Sasuke…tried to kill…him. He poisoned Naruto…with his…blade," squeaked Sakura between sobs.

"How long ago was that?" Ten-Ten interjected.

Sakura took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face, "It was about…two days ago."

"When was the last time you slept?" Lee asked.

"I fell asleep for a few hours after the sun set last night, but after that I was running to try and get Naruto back as fast as I could."

"That's enough questions for now," Gai-sensei interrupted. "Neji, Ten-Ten, you keep an eye out for other attackers, Lee you carry Sakura, and I'll carry Naruto."

"But I can walk on my own," Sakura protested.

"You're already tired. You would only slow us down. Its faster if Lee carries you," Gai-sensei said, not allowing her to protest further.

An hour or so later, both Naruto and Sakura were out cold, allowing the four remaining shinobi to talk about the situation that had just come up.

"What I want to know is, where is Kakashi-sensei right now?" Ten-Ten asked, feeling irritable.

"The better question isn't why Kakashi wasn't there. Its why no one accept Naruto and Sakura are here with us now," Neji said. "When they went after Sasuke, I was told that Sai and Yamato would be with them, but Sakura hasn't even mentioned them. Or better yet…with four highly trained shinobi present, how could one person get the better of them and almost kill one of them, even if it was Sasuke? Why couldn't Naruto fend him off? There are just too many questions and not enough answers."

"What about the poison though?" Lee asked. "I thought Sakura had medical abilities that she acquired from Lady Tsunade."

"That's simple," Gai-sensei answered. "She has no access to the supplies that she needs to cure him, at least, not out here in the middle of nowhere." He looked back at Naruto. Even now his face was turning very pale.

"Hang in there, kiddo," he said softly, "we'll be there soon."

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_Thanks for reading, I'll trying to write more when I can but I won't be near my computer for a few days so I may not get to the next chapter until the weekend. Hopefully I'll have it by then though. Anyway, bye for now!_


	4. Confession

The night came and went quietly. With all of them being caught up in their own thoughts, no one said much. Each member of the group leaped quietly through the trees, stopping for a break only after the sun had started to rise.

"Sakura," Lee said softly, wishing he didn't have to wake her.

Groggily, she opened her eyes and looked around. Noticing that she was perched on someone's back, she turned her head sideways to try and get a look at who it was but couldn't see him properly. His fine black hair covered most of his face from where she was. Then slowly, it started to come back to her. She had met up with Gai-sensei's group and the person who's back she had been riding on all night had been Lee's. Seeing that Gai had already dismounted Naruto from his back and was allowing Ten-Ten and Neji to set Naruto down and changing his bandages, she too felt that it was time that she had a good stretch.

"You can put me down now," she said softly in Lee's ear.

Looking back at her for a moment, he gently and carefully withdrew his hands from under her legs. She slid down his back slowly, almost falling when her feet reached the ground due to the lack of blood circulating in her legs.

"Ugh," she barked, grabbing onto Lee clothes to keep herself from falling. "My legs are asleep!"

Lee jolted backwards in surprise when she took a hold of the back of his collar. Forcefully leaning forward, he made himself stand still until she let go, as to not end up hurting her.

"You all right, Sakura?" Lee asked, turning around to face Sakura when she finally let go.

Sakura nodded, "Sorry. Yeah."

"How long has he had this fever, Sakura?" Neji asked, bent over Naruto. He looked up at her waiting for an answer.

"Its been off and on since I left for Konoha," she said softly.

"He's wheezing horribly," Ten-Ten said, squatting next to Naruto, somewhat under Neji.

"How far away are we?" Sakura asked, trying to regain her bearings.

"We're about half a day from Konoha," Gai-sensei said.

"There's no time to stop here," Sakura uttered quietly.

"We must rest, Sakura. The longer we go, the slower our pace will become. My group, especially Ten-Ten and Lee, are tired," Gai-sensei said.

"I'm sorry, Gai-sensei," Sakura said, walking towards Naruto stiffly, "but Naruto is so close to giving up. I cannot wait here and watch him come closer to death. Every second that we rest may be a second less than he has. Thank you for everything, but I must leave."

With that, Sakura walked over to the unconscious Naruto and slung him over her back, leaving Neji and Ten-Ten watching speechlessly. But just as she was about to leave, someone called to her.

"Sakura, wait," hailed a fair voice.

She stopped in her tracks and looked back to see Neji walking towards her.

"Allow me to accompany you, at least. Its not wise to go on alone in case you are attacked," Neji said.

His teammates were staring at him, dumbfounded. They rarely ever heard Neji speak up about anything, but when he did it was usually for the benefit of the group. Now, he was choosing to leave the group for the better good of someone else.

"I'll go too!" Lee proclaimed.

"No," Neji said, turning back to his teammate. "You would only slow her down. I've trained harder, sustained less injuries, and not had to carry anything all night. I am the only logical choice to go."

Gai-sensei stared at him in silence for a long moment until he finally nodded, "You're right. Take care of yourself, Neji. We'll meet up with you as soon as we get back."

"But Gai-sensei—" Lee started to protest.

"No, Lee. You do not have the stamina right now that Neji has. You will stay here with me and Ten-Ten."

Lee looked crushed, but only replied, "Yes, Gai-sensei."

"Thank you, master Gai," Neji said, nodding his thanks.

With that Sakura and Neji disappeared, leaving a three-man cell behind.

Silence fell over the group of young shinobi as they made their way through the woods at incredible speed. A kind of fear and panicked tension fell over the group. Neither Neji nor Sakura said a word for fear that they might upset each other. It was true that Neji and Sakura had known each other for a while now, but as far as being together on missions, it had never come up. Being alone with no one else to talk to accept each other would've never happened under any other circumstances. A good two hours later, the silence was finally starting to get to Sakura, so she decided it was time to get a conversation going to help pass the time.

"Neji," Sakura said at last, breaking the endless silence, "when you looked at Naruto last, how bad was he?"

Neji didn't respond immediately, "He was…fading. Even now, his breathing is becoming more and more shallow by the hour. I think it was a wise choice to leave when we did. Had we waited for the others to rest, Naruto would have died before we got back to Konoha for sure."

"Do you think…he's going to die?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Nothing is certain," Neji replied, carefully picking his words, "but he still has a fair chance if we stay at this pace."

The two were silent for a moment before Sakura spoke again.

"Neji…"

"Hmm?"

"Is there anyone in Konoha that you have feelings for?"

"Uh," Neji began awkwardly, looking over at her to try and get a glimpse of the expression on her face. Facing forward again, he continued, "I'm not sure…if I know what you're asking."

"Is there anyone in Konoha that you like…or love? Any girl?"

Neji blushed several shades of red, "I, uh…I, well…sort of. I guess so."

Sakura didn't return Neji's questioning gaze, "I see. Well…I just wondered, because love is said to be forbidden to a shinobi and yet…I think I've fallen for this numbskull, dolt," she said, cocking her head to gesture to Naruto, who was laying completely unconscious on her back. She fought back yet another bout of tears.

Neji raised an eyebrow, "Really? Lee would be crushed to hear you say that."

"So I've been told," Sakura remarked calmly. "Somehow, though…Naruto matured so much when he was away training. He doesn't even seem like the same person anymore. When I first met him, he was so irresponsible, dumb, and immature. Now, he's strong, he's fearless, and he's serious. He's very clever too. I can almost believe he may become Hokage one day. He's everything that I loved about Sasuke back when I was younger. Naruto is also everything that Sasuke is not. Naruto actually cares."

"I see. That's very interesting for sure," Neji said softly.

"But putting that aside. How much longer do you think we have until we reach Konoha?"

"About two hours," Neji replied.

Sakura glanced back at Naruto, "Just a little longer. Hang on, Naruto."

With that the journey of many different heroes continued.

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_Hey, I'm back! Hehe… Anyway, hope you liked it. More later! Bye all!_


	5. Chaos Upon Arrival

"Stop! SAKURA!! STOP!!" Neji screamed. His voice was tainted with fear.

Sakura stopped in her tracks, firmly planting her feet on the branch of a tree. She felt Neji lift Naruto off her back.

"What?" She asked, panicking.

"He's coughing up blood," Neji said shakily, propping Naruto against the trunk of the tree that were on so that he would be in a sitting position as to not choke on the blood he was coughing up.

"What!?" Sakura repeated, watching Naruto helplessly.

"Your jumping movements are speeding up the spread of the poison even more. If we continue on like this, he'll die," Neji said, his voice sounded slightly raw.

"We can't just stop here though. We have to get to Konoha, and we have to get there now!" Sakura interjected hysterically.

"And we will, but we're going to have to go to the ground and run on foot. The jumping motion is killing him faster."

"Neji, we can't do that. If we stay on the ground, it will be another hour before we reach the village. Up here its less than half an hour," Sakura argued, stubbornly.

Neji stared at her intently for a moment, then nodded, "Alright. We're putting his life in danger even more by stand here arguing. We'll do it your way, but I'm going to go ahead of you and get help. That way we won't have to wait any longer for it to come to us."

Sakura nodded, starting to pick Naruto up again, "Go!"

Neji nodded and disappeared. Sakura's heart started to pound in her chest anxiously. As soon as Naruto was on, she took off at top speed, taking special care to make her landings softer if she could.

"Don't you dare die on me now, Naruto…not when we're this close," Sakura pleaded. She pushed the thought of him dying out of her mind. She could afford to cry now. Crying would only weaken her and slow her down. Each branch seemed like her enemy as she continued. One foot after another, tree after tree, she made herself focus on navigating. Seconds ticked by in slow motion and she became aware of everything. She could hear every huff of her own breath, telling her she should slow down. She could hear every wheeze from Naruto that told her she needed to go faster, an occasional cough from him that told her that the poison was reaching his vital organs, every leaf rustle as she passed by, and the whistle of the wind protesting her speed. Her body ached with the task of constant running and little rest, but she could not give in to its protests now.

After what seemed like an eternity, the trees started to clear and she came face to face with the gate of Konoha. Jumping down from the trees, she made a dead run for the gate, attempting to fight back yet another bout of tears. As she reached the paved stones of Konoha, she was greeted with the sight of Shikamaru, Iruka, Kakashi, Ino and several other shinobi, all standing completely still, awaiting her arrival. She had not doubt that Hinata, Shino and Kiba would have been there too, accept that they were currently away on a mission of their own. As Kakashi began to walk towards her, she looked for Neji but could not find him. Frantically, she stopped and looked at the crowd of people before her, searching for him. Just then, Lady Tsunade pushed through the crowd with Neji following close behind. She gave a side-glance to Shikamaru as she walked.

"Come Shikamaru," Lady Tsunade commanded, walking towards Sakura. Shikamaru was immediately at Tsunade's side. Reaching Sakura, he took Naruto off her back and positioned him in his arms. Naruto's neck lay on top of one arm and his legs lay on top of the other. Lady Tsunade did not interact with Sakura at all. Instead, she led the way back through the crowd to the hospital. Sakura watched Shikamaru take the limp Naruto away and it was then that it all hit her. What if he did die?

Sakura fell to her hands and knees and sobbed. While the crowd watched her sympathetically, Kakashi continued to walk towards her until he stood just in front of her. Then kneeling down, he tried to lift her face to look at him. Instead, she threw her arms around him and sat there, crying into his jacket. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, but after a moment, he gently put his arms around her.

"He's a tough boy, Sakura," he said softly. "He's survived everything the world could throw at him, so far. So I believe…if anyone can survive this, he can."

Sakura said nothing. She was too exhausted to move, and too dejected to care.

"He'll beat it…'believe it'," Neji said softly, walking up to stand next to her. "I would know. He beat me, remember?"

Sakura slowly withdrew her arms from around Kakashi and began to wipe the tears from her eyes. Kakashi removed his arms from around her as well and watched her silently.

"But…what if he doesn't?" Sakura squeaked. Every ounce of her was spent.

"He'll be alive tomorrow and the next day, and the day after that. Naruto's not a quitter," Neji said softly.

Sakura nodded, wiping more tears out of her eyes and taking a long shaky breath.

"Kakashi-sensei, I think I want to go home for now," she said quietly.

"Alright. I'll let you know when they're done working on him," he said giving her a confident nod.

"No, sensei. Actually, its not that. You see…I don't think I can stand up on my own right this second, so if you wouldn't mind helping me…"

"Oh," Kakashi replied, registering her words. "Yeah, of course!"

"I'm going to take off too," Neji said.

"Alright. Get some rest," Kakashi said.

"Yes," Neji said, nodding and walking off.

Kakashi stood up, extending a hand towards her. She took it and the two tugged towards each other. When she was on her feet, Kakashi put her arm around his neck, holding it there with one of his hands. He then extended the other arm behind her back until it reached her opposite shoulder. Slowly, they began to walk back towards her house.

"So, how did all of this happen anyway? I mean, it was a pretty big surprise when Neji came running into the village screaming for Lady Tsunade. I mean, that was a sight I never thought I would ever see. But when I heard it was because of Naruto, I just got confused," Kakashi said gently.

"Long story," Sakura replied.

"We have a few minutes to kill," Kakashi said.

"Well, we confronted Sasuke. Naruto went out on a limb and tried to reason with him and in the process got cut with his blade and—"

"Didn't Naruto fight back at all?"

"Not a first, but by the time he realized that Sasuke was being serious about killing him, it was too late."

"I see. Naruto has always been a real softy. So then what happened? Where's Sai and Yamato?"

"Sai went over to Sasuke's side and Yamato went after him. And since I had nothing to cure Naruto, I got Naruto and took off for Konoha. I met up with Gai-sensei's group on the way. They carried me and Naruto a bit. Then they decided that they needed to rest so I left the group and they sent Neji with me. Naruto started getting really bad about half an hour ago, so Neji went on ahead," Sakura said.

"You know…for someone who's just been through what you have, you're head is surprisingly clear. You really have grown up a lot," Kakashi said. The crowd had subsided by now and were all going to see what was happening with Naruto.

"Yeah, but sometimes I think I still have an awful long way to go," she said.

"Or course you do," Kakashi said. "We all do. I didn't really start to learn any of the skills I have now until I was almost twenty. For fifteen, you're doing just fine."

He stopped in front of the door of a nice house towards the center of the village.

"Thank you, Sensei," Sakura said.

"No problem," he said waving thought away with a smile.

Sakura leaned forward to knock, but stopped just short of the door, "Kakashi-sensei…"

"Yeah?"

"I forgot to ask…how have you been as far as recovering goes? After all, we did get teamed up with Yamato because of that."

"Me? I'm much better now as you've seen," he said.

"Will you be joining us on the next mission?" she asked.

"Yes, whenever that will be. Tsunade's been concerned with how long you've been away recently. Now that you're back and Naruto's injured, I don't think she's intending to send any of us out again for quite some time. But in any case, I'll check on you in the morning and tell you what happened to Naruto. Until then, try to get some rest, okay?"

Sakura gave a slight smile and nodded, "Okay."

With that, she leaned forward the rest of the way and knocked on the door. There was silence for a moment before the door opened.

"Sakura?" said a thin, red-haired woman.

"Mom…"

Her mom took a moment to take in the sight before her. Her pink-haired daughter had an arm around an older team member for support. Her entire body sagged slightly with exhaustion.

"What on earth have you been up to?" Her mom scolded, gently taking Sakura from Kakashi.

"She's not injured to my knowledge, but she is exhausted. She had to carry someone who weighed over what she does, at a dead run for several days on end. She should take it easy for a while," Kakashi said, explaining the situation to her mother.

"I see," said Mrs. Haruno. "Well, she can tell me all about it later. For now, I think I better get some food in her. Thank you."

Kakashi bowed, "My pleasure, ma'am." With that, Kakashi closed the door to Sakura's home and started towards the hospital, silently dreading what he might learn when he got there.

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_Hey, hope you liked it. More later! Bye all!_


	6. The Lair of Uchiha Sasuke

"Naruto!" Yamato voice shouted with defeat, cutting through the dry air. The tension had been cut with a knife and it left blood to remain.

"Well, I'm off," Sai smiled unfeelingly at Yamato.

"No! Naruto!" Sakura screamed frantically, rushing forward to help him as he collapsed to the ground. The straps of his pack had been cut clean off, leaving his back exposed. One quick swipe with a long blade and Yamato's and Sakura's worst nightmares became a reality. Here Yamato was wearing a mask that he wasn't supposed to be wearing, several days from home, with a new team that he promised Kakashi that he would take care of before he left. Now, not only was he facing one of the most evil rogues in the world, but one of his team members was injured severely and another of his team members was turning on him to take the enemy's side.

'I told you that you should have wrapped your kunai before you left for the mission. Its bad luck not to…' said a little voice in his head.

'Oh, stuff it!' replied his ninja side.

"Go on, Sai. I'll catch up," Sasuke said smugly. With that, Sai jumped out of the canyon-like depression and started to run. Yamato hesitated for a moment, looking back at Naruto and Sakura, then at Sasuke, and finally back up at Sai. There was nothing for it. He had to go after Sai. If he got away, the entire mission would have been for nothing.

"Sakura! Take care of Naruto! I'll be back as soon as I can!" He called back, as he jumped out of the depression onto level ground.

Breaking into a run, he saw Sai in the distance and gave chase, "I knew putting him on this mission was a bad idea. He wasn't concerned with the group's well-being from the start. Tsunade is going to get an earful when I get back!"

Yamato ran a good ten minutes before he came upon a forest.

'What the heck? A forest in the middle of a desert. You've gotta be kidding me,' Yamato thought.

Sai disappeared inside the thick brush and Yamato had no choice but to follow.

'That's another ten points to Orochimaru for finding yet another insane location to hide people in. Talk about random…' he thought.

It was then that Sai ran on top of the water of a large lake. Heavy fog covered the surface, making it more difficult to keep track of Sai's movements. But it seemed that, that was the point.

"Wow…isn't this place just full of surprises," he thought aloud.

Speeding up, he copied every movement that he saw Sai make with great care. There could very well be someone on land in front of him, waiting to cut down anyone that didn't move right at a distance. He couldn't take the chance of getting injured. He was alone in enemy territory, and he had no clue where his nearest allies were, not to mention how far Konoha was from where he was right now. No, he could not allow himself to make the slightest error. Such carelessness would be no less than a beg for death.

Hearing noise from behind him, he quickly hid behind a piece of low-hanging brush. It appeared to be more like a bunch of vines that had overgrown into a large mass, creating a kind of leafy curtain. Praising the convenience of such a hiding place, he waited a few minutes before he saw Sasuke quietly pass by. He squinted to see Sasuke pull back a similar curtain of vines at what seemed to be the opposite shore of the lake. The opening to a kind of dark hallway was small, but he could definitely see it.

Cautiously, Yamato sneaked towards the spot that he had seen Sasuke disappear through. He knew it was an awful risk to go anywhere near the hideout, even if he had Naruto and Sakura to back him up, but it was also the opportunity of a lifetime. If he let it go, he may never find Sasuke or any of his companions again. No doubt, Sasuke may very well decide to change location after his encounter with Sakura, Naruto, and Yamato back at Sasuke's now abandoned hideout, earlier. But he had also had an agenda then. He stuck around to try to kill Naruto and to take Sai.

'He's holding all the cards that matter right now,' Yamato thought. 'Time to see if I can steal a few from his deck.'

With that, Yamato crept even closer to the entrance until he was just in front of the hanging vines.

"Rat summoning jutsu!" He whispered. He backed away until he was out of sight, then waited. A small rat ran under the vines and down the long hallway to a candle-lit room. It quietly listened as the two occupants spoke.

"I don't think that would be wise, Sai. Especially right after you left the Konoha village. I have no doubt that someone is looking for you right now. Are you sure you weren't followed here?"

"Fairly. You might send a patrol out later to make sure, but I didn't see anyone behind me."

"What about that masked one?"

"Yamato? I think he just went for help…"

"Huh…maybe. Well, in any case, it doesn't matter. The plan will proceed regardless."

"I thought it would…"

The rat continued down the hall until it reach another room.

"Really?"

"I mean…you know what he's up to these days?"

"Something about trying to get rid of his brother's source of happiness. Do you know what Itachi's up to these days?"

"I heard it had something to do with the nine-tailed fox, but that's just a rumor."

"Why would he want to mess with that thing?"

"You know the Akatsuki…they're always doing something insane."

There was a cold laugh, "Like you don't do stuff like that yourself?"

"It's not like you don't either…"

"I guess we're all insane together. That's just how I like it."

Having heard enough, the rat quickly ran back across the hallway. Scarcely missing a foot that stepped out into the corridor. The rat kept silent, running back to Yamato. As a silver-haired boy pulled back the vines to look out at the foggy lake, Yamato took a deep breath. Yamato remained very still in the shadow of the trees as his rat climbed up his clothes and perched itself on his shoulder. He took slow, shallow breathes, praying that he wouldn't be detected. But after a long moment, the boy went back inside, letting the vines fall back together. Nodding to the rat, it told him what it had heard.

"Thank you," Yamato whispered. "Until next time."

"Yes," the rat said. With that it disappeared and Yamato was alone again. He had taken too long. He had to get back to Sakura and Naruto. So, very quietly, he crept on the swampy water behind vines and through trees, hiding from any prying eyes.

When he finally reached shore again, he took a moment to remember which way he had come from, then took off at top speed. The forest was too dark for his taste. So dark, in fact, that it was most unnatural. The trekking, however, was fairly short. Within twenty minutes, he was facing a desert scene again. Even in the desert, though, the sun had long since gone down.

Taking another moment to regain his bearings, he took off in the general direction of the canyon-like depression. The darkness slowed him down slightly, making his senses adjust. Fifteen minutes later, he could see the outline of the depression. As he ran up on it and jumped down into it, he found that Sakura and Naruto were already gone. She must've taken Naruto and left. Scanning over the scene before him, a small pack caught his eye. Walking over to it, he surveyed it, frowning. The straps had been cut clean off. It must've been Naruto's.

Yamato pulled out a candle, lit it and reached inside the pack. He found non-essentials like soap, a picture of Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi together, another set of candles, an extra pair of Sakura's special gloves, a picture of Naruto that had been torn down the middle to hide some unwanted memory of someone else. But perhaps the most interesting thing was that, hidden in a small compartment at the bottom of the pack, was a picture of Sakura. Yamato frowned, looking away for a moment. Putting the picture of Naruto and Sakura next to each other, he looked between them. He had concluded earlier that it was Naruto's pack. So why would a picture of Sakura be hidden in it? And why had a picture of Naruto been tossed so carelessly inside? Unless…

Yamato held the candle over the two pictures again. Both of them were pictures of the two after they had turned fifteen.

"Are they…in love?"

He had to admit, if they were, it would explain a few things.

"Well…" he said slowly, "Its not as if its strictly forbidden or anything, but it is strongly discouraged. Distractions like that can cause people to get hurt. But just the same…they'll probably be wanting these back."

He emptied Naruto's pack into his own and jumped out of the depression, hoping to make a little progress before he rested for the night.

"Well then," he said, "this mission has certainly been very interesting. I'll give it that."

The moon and stars shown exceptionally bright that night leaving no evening glory of the sky untouched.

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_Hey guys! Thought I'd take a detour before I got to the end. Hope you liked it… Back to Naruto and Sakura next chapter! Yay! Lol…anyway, bye all!_


	7. Condition of a Son

"Any news?" Kakashi asked as he walked inside the hospital waiting room, looking Shikamaru straight in the eye.

Shikamaru took a deep breath and sighed, "Not yet. Lady Tsunade is doing the operation herself, so I can only guess its pretty serious."

"So I was told. I hope she can handle it," Kakashi said.

"Why do you say that?" Shikamaru asked.

"She's extremely hemophobic. If she sees blood at all she's gonna pass out at the very least," Kakashi answered.

"I see," Shikamaru said.

Looking around, there were many people there, waiting to hear any news about Naruto. Kurenai stood in front of Anko, as they all engaged in what looked to be a serious conversation. Kurenai had not been partnered with her group for their mission. The man that ran the ramen stall sat alone in a corner, completely silent. Konohamaru sat, clinging to Iruka's arm, with his head buried in his jacket. The young teacher ruffled the boy's hair before looking up at Kakashi. The gray-haired Jounin had just started walking toward Iruka when the doors to the hospital sudden burst open again. Jiraya emerged with a very grave expression on his face. Marching straight up to a hospital staff member, he started to converse about Naruto's condition.

It seemed that the only people who were absent from the hospital were Sakura, Yamato, Gai's group, and Hinata's group. The irony of it all, was that the only people who weren't there, Kakashi mused, were the people who probably cared about Naruto the most. Well…with a few exceptions.

Stopping in front of Iruka, Kakashi looked down at Naruto's former teacher calmly, "You're reaction is a lot like mine."

"Naruto's gotten himself into trouble on countless occasions, but nothing like this," Iruka said. The sadness in his face made him look older than he was.

"Yeah, I know. It gave me quite a nice shock too," Kakashi said.

"What gets me," Iruka continued, "is that he was finally getting his life on track and starting to really be a great kid. He was on his way to becoming an incredible man, and this happens. Why?"

"Don't count him out just yet, Iruka," Kakashi said. "Naruto can't be beaten so easily. But yes…it is a shame that such an awful thing has happened just after he had become such a fine young man."

It was then that Tsunade emerged. People rose from their seats in anticipation and everyone turned to look at her. A tense silence fell over the room.

"He's stable," she said.

Relief seemed to sweep through the room.

"The antidote is being administered as I speak. He has sustained quite a bit of internal damage, though, so visits need to be short with only a few people at a time. Exciting him may cause him further damage. Currently, however, he is resting, so try not to wake him."

She walked over to Jiraya and signaled for Kakashi and Iruka to join them. When the three of them were within speaking range, Tsunade started talking.

"Jiraya. Kakashi. Iruka. The three of you may go in any time you like and stay as long as you need to. The same goes for Sakura when she gets around to it. The four of you have been through much more with him than anyone else has. All I ask is that you take turns spending time with him," Tsunade said. Not waiting for them to answer her, she gave them a courteous nod, and walked out of the hospital with Shizune following close behind.

"You two can go in first. I saw him when he arrived," Kakashi said to Jiraya and Iruka.

Jiraya and Iruka exchanged looks before walking towards Naruto's indicated room. When they entered, the blonde-haired boy was asleep. His face was quite pallid, and it still held a bit of sweat from a fever that had just been broken.

"He's gotten so much older than I remember," Iruka said quietly. "If you would have told me when he was younger that he would become this handsome a boy in his teens, I would have said that you were crazy."

"He has grown up a lot hasn't he?" Jiraya said, smiling.

"You've done a good job with him," Iruka said, looking at Jiraya.

"Nah," Jiraya grunted, "I just set down some general rules to guide him. He was the one that decided to change so much."

"I bet that if he met himself from a few years ago, now, he wouldn't recognize himself at all," Iruka said. Somehow his fatherly nature tended to show much more when it came to Naruto. Perhaps it was because he regarded Naruto as more of son than a former student.

"Well," Jiraya said, "time to let someone else have a look at him."

Iruka frowned, "Already?"

"You can stay, but I think I'll come back later when he's awake," Jiraya said.

Iruka nodded, "I think I'm going to stay." He sat down next to Naruto's bed and grabbed Naruto's hand in a fatherly way.

"See you later, Iruka," Jiraya said. walking out of the room, he closed the door behind him. "Next?"

Kakashi shrugged as Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru stood up and walked in his room.

"Aren't you going to go in there?" Jiraya asked, reaching him.

Kakashi shook his head, "Not now. I will when everyone else has had a moment with him. It would mean more to me when he's awake anyway."

"I understand. Well, I have to have a talk with Tsunade. I'll be back soon. Take care, Kakashi," Jiraya said.

Kakashi nodded and turned in time to See Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru exit the Naruto's room while Anko, Kurenai, Konohamaru, and the man from the ramen shop walked in the room. Kakashi sighed. Had this happened to Naruto when he was still in the academy, no one would have shown up accept Iruka and the Third Hokage. Even he, one of the people who relied on him presently, didn't know or care about him back then. On some level, that bothered him. But to the rest of the world, Naruto had become quite a hero recently, so it made him popular.

No more than ten minutes later, Gai walked in the hospital waiting room with Lee and Tenten. Just before the door was about to close, Neji walked in as well. Gai immediately walked up to Kakashi.

"What's the news on Naruto?" Gai asked.

"He's stable, but resting. If you want to see him, make it short," Kakashi answered.

It was about that time that Anko, Konohamaru, Kurenai, and the man from the ramen shop all came out of Naruto's room.

"Go ahead," Kakashi said, gesturing to the door.

Gai nodded at his group and the four of them walked inside. When they were beside his bed, they saw that Iruka was already sitting there silently. Naruto looked so frail, but also peaceful to them. Tenten leaned in towards Neji and he put an arm around her in response.

"It looks like she got him here just in the nick of time," Gai said. "Good job, guys."

"Thank you, Gai-sensei," said Lee.

No one else said anything. When they left, only a few others came in the room to visit Naruto. Night had fallen once again before Iruka finally came out of Naruto's room. Kakashi took that as his signal to go in. No words were exchanged between Iruka and Kakashi as they passed each other. Only a kind of silent understanding between the two seemed to exist. As Kakashi walked in and took a seat at Naruto's bedside, he saw how pale the boy really was. Kakashi watching him silently, letting his mind wander until he dozed off.

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_Ok…so, getting down to the very end here…not quite there, but almost… See you next chapter!_


	8. Meet the Family

"Kakashi-sensei," said a weak voice, waking the white-haired man. He looked over at Naruto to see the boy's blue eyes staring at him.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Kakashi. "How are you feeling?"

"Kakashi-sensei, I couldn't…bring him back. I…failed," said Naruto. His voice was even weaker the Kakashi expected.

"Don't worry about that now. There was nothing you could have done," said Kakashi.

"Where's…Sakura? Is she…okay?" Naruto continued.

"Calm down. She's spending some time with her family right now. She asked me to keep her updated on your condition," said Kakashi.

"You should probably…go then," said Naruto, giving him a weak smile. It was then that Naruto turned on his side and violently coughed up another small amount of blood.

Kakashi watched him helplessly. The relief that had come over him the night before had been swept away in an instant, only to be replaced with concern.

"I'll be right back," Kakashi said rising from his chair as Naruto weakly fell back against his pillow.

"Excuse me," Kakashi said, walking over to a doctor. "Is it normal for patients to cough up blood after poison is removed from their system."

The doctor frowned, "No, why?"

Kakashi grabbed the young man by the arm, dragging him, confused as he was, into Naruto's room. At first the doctor looked at Kakashi questioningly, but when Kakashi gestured towards Naruto bed, he could see a small splash of blood on the sheets.

"I'll have Lady Tsunade notified right away," said the doctor, walking out of the room.

"What's up with him?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi walked up until he was next to Naruto's bedside again. He gave the boy a serious, but calm look.

"I think Sasuke may have been using a combination of two poisons. Lady Tsunade may not have noticed. So, she may have given you only one antidote," Kakashi answered honestly. It had never been his policy to sugar-coat anything.

Naruto looked up at him fearfully, "Am I going…to die?"

"I should try and find Gai," said Kakashi avoiding the subject and trying to turn away.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, his voice pleaded.

"I'll be back soon," Kakashi said and was about to walk away when he heard Naruto scream at him.

"KAKASHI!"

Naruto had reached up a hand to grab onto Kakashi's jacket in an attempt to stop him from leaving. He knew the boy was too weak to succeed in keeping him there, but he felt that the fact that Naruto was willing to try was proof enough that he should stay. Taking a deep breath, Kakashi turned back around to face Naruto.

"I need to know…am I going…to die?"

Kakashi looked away from Naruto's face uncomfortably. An oddly pained frown came over his face. Swallowing hard, the gray-haired ninja spoke.

"I don't know," he said, his voice becoming horse. And that was the honest truth.

Naruto looked to the foot of his bed and nodded, "That's all I…wanted to hear."

Kakashi glanced up at the boy momentarily, then back down, "I need to talk to Sakura, so…I'll have to leave you for a bit. Tsunade should be here soon."

"What about Gai-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Forget it. I'll worry about him later. Right now I have a promise to keep to Sakura," Kakashi said.

He turned to walk out, stopping just short of the door. He couldn't do this…he couldn't just walk out. Not like this. What if Naruto really did die? He should know. He needed to know. It was his right to know…

Kakashi took a deep breath.

"She loves you, you know," he said.

"What? Do you mean…Sakura?"

"She never told anyone else. I suppose she trusted me more than most people and she never had the courage to tell you herself. Its just, she can't always find the best way to show it. Its something she's still learning to deal with," said Kakashi.

With that, he opened the door, stepped out of the room and shut it behind him, leaving Naruto to contemplate his words. Passing Lady Tsunade as he left the hospital, some of his fear seemed to dissipate.

Naruto lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling. He had suspected that she might feel something for him for some time now, but love was a completely different matter. It was true that he cared more for Sakura then for any of the other girls, including Hinata, but he had made it a point to suppress those feelings as much as possible when he was on missions. He couldn't afford to leave his feelings out in the open. If he had, and anything would have ever happened to her, it would have destroyed him. After losing Sasuke, if he ever lost Sakura too…there would be no getting through it. It was then that he closed his eyes, letting his mind fall into a kind of thick black pool of emotion and he remembered no more.

It was almost noon when Kakashi arrived at Sakura's home. Knocking lightly on the door, he waited until a blonde-haired middle-aged man opened the door.

"Ah, you must be Kakashi. Our Sakura mentions you from time to time. Come in, come in," said the man.

"Thank you," Kakashi said, stepping inside the house. "You must be Sakura's father."

"Yes, indeed," the middle-aged man answered. "Actually, I just got back home only a few minutes ago, myself. Still putting everything away. So what brings you here?"

"A boy from our team was injured in his last mission. I promised I'd notify your daughter as soon as I had any news on him."

"Ah! Well, she should be out here any moment. At least, that's what my wife told me."

Kakashi nodded, surveyed him carefully. He didn't recognize him from anywhere, but the green jacket, black cloak and black gloves with metal hand-protectors that he was wearing were much like his own. They were familiar characteristics of a ANBU ninja.

"You're a ANBU shinobi?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes," Sakura's father said, smiling.

"Ah. I used to be part of that lot too, but when they called me to teacher duty I couldn't refuse. Still, I retired from that branch of our village even before they told me to train your daughter and her teammates. She's become a fine shinobi in her own right, I'm happy to say."

"Thank you. I'm sure she'd be happy to hear that."

It was then that Sakura walked into the room, fully adorned in a midnight blue kimono that had sakura blossoms at the bottom of the faded hem.

"Happy to hear what?" said she.

"Oh, don't you look beautiful, honey," her father beamed adoringly.

"You look very nice, Sakura," Kakashi compliment, feeling slightly out of place.

She walked straight over to her father and hugged him. He smiled lovingly, stroking her pink hair.

"Thank you, sensei." She paused, before adding, "So, how bad is he?"

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about first," said Kakashi.

Sakura's cheer faded and her expression turned serious.

"Sensei…you're not saying that he…"

"No. He is alive, and was stable through the night," Kakashi said, "but this morning, there were signs that Lady Tsunade may have missed a poison. A second poison has probably been taking affect on him through the night."

"I see," Sakura said, wringing her hands together. She shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably.

"He was awake when I left him a few minutes ago, though," said Kakashi, in an attempt to keep her spirits up.

She forced a smile, "That's good. In that case, I should go see him."

Kakashi nodded, "Yes. I think that might be a good idea."

"Hold it!" boomed an approaching voice. Suddenly Sakura's mother came into view. "Have you eaten today, Kakashi?"

"Umm…well…no," Kakashi resigned.

"Neither has Sakura. Neither of you are going anywhere until you get some food in you. Understand? Don't need anyone passing out in the waiting room. Besides, Lady Tsunade needs time to work on that boy if she has any chance of making him better."

Kakashi looked at Sakura, but she merely smiled in a way that told him not to argue. Shrugging, he followed Sakura to a small table. Sitting on a mat across from her, he watched Sakura's mother curiously. Sakura's father took up residence next to his daughter. Several small dishes were placed in front of the three. As they anxiously awaited the last dish, it became all too clear that none of them had had a leisurely, warm meal in quite some time. Each expression held a kind of torture that the smell of fresh, well-cooked food bestowed upon them.

While it was true that Sakura had had a warm meal the night before, she found that she was too exhausted to finish it, and instead went to her room and fell asleep before she got halfway through the dish. As for enjoying it, she couldn't remember whether she did or not.

"So, tell me about your team, Kakashi," Sakura's father said. "I'm home so rarely that I hardly ever get to have a nice talk with Sakura anymore. Besides, with both of you here, you can each fill in gaps that the other leaves out."

As Sakura's mother sat down next to Kakashi and across from her husband, she looked at her daughter to try and catch her reaction. To her surprise, Sakura smiled. All four picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

"Well, lets see," said Kakashi. "Of course you know all about Sakura's abilities. She's become quite an amazing shinobi in both medicine and combat. I've come to rely on her quite a bit."

Sakura's father smiled proudly, "I knew she'd do well."

Kakashi smiled at her in a praising fashion as she turned slightly red from embarrassment at her dad's remark.

"Then there's Yamato. He used to be on the ANBU too. He's an interesting character. He's a bit of an odd ball, but he's also a good man."

"He idolizes you," said Sakura jokingly.

Kakashi chuckled for a moment, then continued, "Perhaps. But moving right along…the last one in my immediate team is Naruto. He's…interesting, to say the least."

Sakura buried herself in her food at this point because her face was becoming steadily redder by the second.

"When I first got him as my student," Kakashi continued, choosing to ignore Sakura, "he was a troublemaker. My first impression was that he was either a complete lunatic or that he just didn't care. It turned out that he was a little of both at the time."

Sakura's parents laughed at this, but was silent Sakura turning redder still.

"Still, though. He's changed enormously since then," said Kakashi, continuing. "He's matured a lot and he's gotten quite strong. I've come to rely on him quite a bit too."

Sakura's father nodded, "That sounds like me a bit."

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, well…now that he's become the intriguing person that he is now, it's a sad thing to report that he was badly injured in the last mission. While I was here recovering from my own injury, your daughter, Naruto, Yamato, and another who is no longer with us, went on a mission to find and bring back a former friend…"

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. Is that the first loss you had on a mission?" Sakura's father said, turning to his daughter.

Her jaw went slack, her eyes narrowed, and her eyebrows creased into a heavy frown as she turned her head to look at her father.

"He didn't die," she said apathetically. "He changed sides."

Her father blinked, and a uncomfortable expression took its place on his face.

"Oh," he said, unable to think of anything else to say.

Kakashi looked at the two across the table sympathetically.

"Yes. I would not have guessed that Sai would turn. I always thought he had a different hidden agenda that ran more on the lines of disposing of Sasuke, but I guess I was wrong. But through that tragedy, Yamato went after him, leaving Sakura with Naruto just after he had been injured. She got him here pretty much, all by herself," said Kakashi.

"I met up with Gai-sensei's group about half-way through and they helped me some," she corrected.

"I'm proud of you, honey," Sakura's father said, putting an arm around his daughter and pulling her towards him into a sort of one-armed hug.

"Thanks dad," Sakura said, her voice indicating the insincerity in her words.

Silence fell between them and they all finished their meals in silence.

"Well," Kakashi said at last, rising to his feet. "Sakura and I should really be going now. Naruto's treatment should be almost done by now."

Sakura rose too, "Yes."

Sakura's father rose to his feet as well, bowing to Kakashi. Kakashi bowed back.

"Well, its been nice to have you over. Wish you could have stayed longer so that we could've exchanged some stories of past ANBU missions, but maybe another time," said her father.

Kakashi nodded, "Another time. Thank you for the meal, missus Haruno, it was delicious."

She smiled, still finishing a dish she had made, "Any time."

"Well then, until later," Kakashi said.

Sakura opened the door and Kakashi nodded his thanks to her as he walked out. She turned momentarily to her parents and waved.

"Bye mom, dad!"

Sakura shut the door and turned to Kakashi.

"I never knew you could be so polite, Sensei. And almost on time too?"

"I'm not much for formalities," said Kakashi, seeming more relaxed already.

Sakura laughed, "You know. I kinda missed you."

They slowly started down the road towards the hospital.

"Only 'kinda'?" Kakashi said, looking hurt.

"Well, maybe more than 'kinda.' It wasn't the same without you. Yamato was only entertaining in the fact that he had all these weird habits. You're much more fun."

"Yes, well, you do tend to pick-up habits when you've been part of the ANBU for a long time. But as long I'm good for something in your book…" said Kakashi.

Sakura smiled at this. She really had missed his sarcastic humor. Presently, it might've been the only thing that could get her through her anxiety about Naruto's condition. No matter how much she wanted to tell Kakashi that she wanted him to stay quiet or that she wanted to be left alone, she knew it would be a lie. She needed him and they both knew it.

* * *

_  
Hey, how was it? I had a bit of a hard time with writing this chapter and I expect next chapter to be harder, so please be patient with me. More later! Bye all!_


	9. Revealed

When Kakashi and Sakura arrived at the hospital, Jiraya and Iruka were already sitting in the waiting room. Neither of the men looked up when they entered. Iruka was sitting with elbows on his knees, his head in his hands and his fingers laced through his hair. Jiraya was sitting up with several pages of parchment in his lap, writing feverishly on something that they could only guess to be the next volume to his odd works, a series that Kakashi loved very much.

Sakura and Kakashi had no sooner taken a seat themselves when the door burst open again. There, still wearing everything from the mission and looking very tired and dirty, was Yamato.

"What the news on Naruto?" he asked, turning to Kakashi.

Kakashi took a deep breath and explained everything up to their present circumstances.

"I see," said Yamato.

"So what happened with Sai?" Kakashi asked.

At this, Sakura leaned in closer and both Jiraya and Iruka looked up. Jiraya's pen stopped and he listened intently to the present conversation.

"I followed him to a kind of marsh area. I had no idea that there were vegetation areas anywhere in the desert, but there's one about ten minutes off where we were when Naruto got injured," said Yamato.

"Weird," Sakura said.

"Yes. That isn't the only weird thing though," said Yamato. "I came to their hideout and it was on the other side of a kind of lake. I sent one of my rats to go in and see what he could hear, and apparently they're planning something big…something with Naruto. They said something about Sasuke making his brother unhappy, and then something about planning to do something and how the plan was still on regardless of us having found them."

Kakashi frowned, mulling the new information over in his mind.

"Have you told Lady Tsunade?" Kakashi asked.

"I left a full, sealed report on her desk," said Yamato. "She was already here when I got to her office."

Kakashi nodded, "Good enough."

"So, now…I guess we just wait," said Yamato.

Kakashi nodded, gesturing to an empty seat next to him. Yamato took it gratefully. As the seconds ticked by, it became very apparent that each person dealt with their anxiety differently. Iruka's head was buried in his hands again, Jiraya was back to writing, and Yamato took to staring at the medal-protectors on his gloves, turning them every once in a while so they would catch the sun at odd angles. Kakashi sat back in his chair, pretending to sleep, while he listened to every sound in the room, pondering what could be going on in Naruto's room at that exact second. Sakura had taken to drumming her fingers on her lap and smoothing out the wrinkles in her kimono. No one said anything, but they all thought the same thing. How much longer would this apprehension last?

It was then, a good hour after everyone had finally arrived at the hospital that Lady Tsunade walked out again. Her face looked uncomfortably grave. Kakashi, Sakura, and Yamato rose to their feet in anticipation. Iruka merely straightened up, and Jiraya shoved his writing material onto the next chair over, both looking up at Tsunade. Jiraya's face looked calm, contrasting the utter fear that was written all over Iruka's.

"I had some difficulty with getting around his seal to treat him this time," said Lady Tsunade.

The whole room seemed to hold its breath. The tension in the air was so thick that it seemed to petrify everyone there.

"Therefore," she continued, "it took me a lot longer to treat him than I hoped it would. It also took us some time to heal his vital organs, as they have taken on much damage. I also took more time to examine him and make sure I didn't miss any other poisons. He's very weak now, but he is stable. You may see him now if you wish."

There was a lot of indistinctive murmuring among the small group of people.

"Sakura, you go first," said Iruka standing up at last.

Sakura looked around at the other men and they nodded.

"Go ahead, Sakura," said Kakashi. "You've been waiting to see him for a long time now."

Nodding, she nervously walked down the hall to the door of his room. Reaching the handle, she swallowed hard. Closing her eyes, she turned the knob and walk inside, closing it behind her. Hearing the soft click of the lock, she opened her eyes again. The room was a boring white and it held just one window. As she walked towards Naruto, she began to see his features more clearly. His face was very pale and his skin, clammy. As she stood there, tears silently streamed down her face. Wiping them away, she took a deep breath and stared at his white expressionless face for a moment. He looked like he had been beaten, as if all his willpower had faded and he had nothing left to give. Somehow, the lack of fight in his unconscious frame, bothered her very much.

Knowing that no one was watching just this once, she walked up to his bedside and slowly bent down. She gently put a hand to his cheek so that her soft fingers caressed his skin. The soft silk of the sleeves on her kimono gently brushed his face. And for a moment, time seemed suspended. Lowering herself to him, her lips touched his and she could feel a kind of tingling surge down her back, making its way to every part of her body. After a moment, she broke the kiss, staying bent over him, calmly staring into his face. She moved her hand just enough to stroke his hair.

"I love you," said Sakura softly.

After a long moment, her hand left his face and she straightened up, still looking at him.

Naruto's eyes blinked open and he looked over at her, "I love you too."

Sakura stared at him, speechless for a moment.

"I didn't know that you were awake," she said.

"I woke up when I heard you close the door," he said.

"Oh," said she.

"I've never seen you in blue before," Naruto said. "It suits you."

"I hate to tell you," Sakura replied impishly, "but a hospital gown does _not_ suit you."

Naruto chuckled weakly, ending in a low moan.

"I dreamt about you a lot while I was unconscious," Naruto said, "and all those times, in all those dreams, you were not half as beautiful as you are now. But the kimono could be part of it."

Sakura laughed lightly, "Don't try and butter me up. You're still in big trouble for almost dying on me."

"I am sorry about that," replied Naruto, jokingly. "I'll try to do better next time."

"You better," Sakura replied, smiling playfully.

"Believe it," he replied calmly, winking at her.

It was then that a knock came on the door.

"Come in," Naruto called.

It opened, revealing Kakashi, Yamato, Iruka, and Jiraya.

"We would've waited until Sakura was done in here, but she was taking far too long," said Kakashi.

"We were beginning to wonder if she got attacked by something," Yamato jested.

Filtering in, they all crowded around Naruto. Conversations intertwined with each other and real laughter echoed in the room for the first time. It was then that they all started to feel that everything would be okay after all.

Nearly a week later, Naruto gingerly walked back to his house with Sakura at his side.

"So, you never told me what you wanted to do about us…" Naruto said.

"There's nothing we can do. It can't happen," said Sakura firmly.

Naruto stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. She turned to him and stopped as well.

"You can't be serious. Don't tell me that you actually believe in this forbidden shinobi love crap?" said Naruto.

"It's the rules, Naruto. There's nothing we can do about that," said Sakura.

"Yes there is. Jiraya-sensei even told me himself once that the code is just a guideline for us to live by to make us more reliable and stable. Every shinobi, even Old Lady Tsunade has crossed the line of falling in love before. Even your father if he really is an ANBU shinobi. Do you think he would have been married to your mother is he had followed the code on that rule. Of course not," said Naruto.

Sakura stared at him for a moment, "I never thought about that before. I guess you're right."

"I'm glad you agree," said Naruto, "because I'm not about to let you go now."

So, there in the middle of a crowded street, Naruto Uzumaki took Sakura Haruno into his arms, easing her into a kiss, and she kissed him back.

"See," said Jiraya to Kakashi as he looked down at the two from a nearby rooftop. "I told you it would happen."

"They make a cute couple, don't they," said Kakashi.

"That they do, my friend, that they do."

The mountain of the great hokages beamed down at them. It was almost as if the sun caught behind Yondaime's huge face carved in the mountain, symbolized his approval. And as the wind whistled by that afternoon, some say that they heard his voice in it…

_"Be happy, my son…"_

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**_Okay, so that's it. Its finally over! As for what happened to Sai and all that, that's probably a whole different story all together. I dunno if I'll get around to writing it or not. But anyway, hope you liked it. I had fun writing it. Hopefully now I can go back to writing a few other things that I haven't finished yet. So yeah, later guys! ;-)  
_**


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